Stephen B. French

Stephen B. French (16 January 1829-) was President of the Board of Commissioners of the NYPD from 1880 to 1889, succeeding William Farrar Smith and preceding Charles F. McLean. A Stalwart Republican affiliated with Roscoe Conkling's political machine, he backed Chester A. Arthur during his vice-presidential bid in 1880.

Biography
Stephen B. French was born in Riverhead, Suffolk County, New York on 16 January 1829, the son of a Canadian father and an "Old Stock" Dutch mother. In 1831, his family moved to Sag Harbor, and he took part in a three-year whaling voyage to Brazil, Chile, Hawaii, and the South Pacific before returning home in 1847. He made and lost moderate fortunes during the California Gold Rush, and, after losing his wife in 1865, he decided to enter into politics and public affairs. Formerly a Whig, he became a Republican and served as Treasurer of Suffolk County from 1869 to 1874, lost for a US House of Representatives bid in Long Island City in 1874, served as Appraiser at the Port of New York from 1876 to 1877, and served as President of the NYPD Board of Commissioners from 1880 to 1889; he was one of four NYPD commissioners. In 1880, he and fellow New York Republican machine member Thomas Murphy backed Chester A. Arthur's successful vice-presidential bid.